Eleven Madison Park
New York, NY 10010-3643
Phone: (212) 889-0905
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- 24th Street
- Directions:
- N, R; 6 at 23rd St
- Best of Citysearch:
- Special Occasion Dining 2007
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Editorial Review for Eleven Madison Park – by Justin Hartung
The Scene
Located in a former bank in the MetLife building, the cavernous space mixes art deco loftiness with warm, natural touches. The high ceiling, grand lanterns and zigzag motifs get softened with comfy black leather furniture, leaf-patterned insets and shrubbery that seems to pull Madison Park right in through the soaring windows. Service is efficient and knowledgeable without a trace of snootiness.
The Food
Chef Daniel Humm occasionally rounds the room to greet diners, and his thorough hospitality is mirrored in the amuse bouche--including a mouthwatering truffle pastry--that accompany the various prix-fixe menus. Seafood dishes are knockouts: The ambrosial prawn consommé and supple salmon in fennel sauce reveal a complexity of flavor that obliterates any negative connotations of "fishiness." Mild poached poularde overcompensates with truffle and rillette accompaniment, but seductively soft suckling pig confit stands proudly unfettered. Fresh blueberries with cornbread ice cream make an appropriately earthy denouement.
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Insider Tips
What to DrinkIn addition to 36 wines available by the glass, cocktails stand out: Try the Mandarina, which balances the bitterness of Campari with refreshing orange flavor, or the pleasantly sweet Cherry Blossom.
Where to SitA room upstairs, faintly visible from the main dining room through colored glass panels, is available for private parties and has its own kitchen.
Know Before You GoThere's no a la carte ordering. Choose from the regular seasonal prix-fixe menu ($76-$88) or the more expensive cuisine-based tasting menus.
The ExtrasBrunch offerings include eggs Benedict made with fresh biscuits and proscuitto.
User Reviews for Eleven Madison Park
05/12/2008 Posted by theonlyvic
The room is beautiful, the wine list is excellent, unusual and relatively affordable, the bartender made a killer Bloody Mary (almost worth the $14 price tag), but I finished my meal utterly bewildered as to what type of restaurant Eleven Madison Park intends to be and why anyone judges it as successful in whatever it is doing. With truly haute haute cuisine prices, one expects superior service and exquisite food. Instead, the service was both confused and inept, if somewhat friendly. Our first course arrived before we had been given bread, condiments or, oddly, silverware -- all of which we had to ask for. The 25 minute wait between appetizer and main course was ridiculous. No one came over to move the table when an inside diner wanted to get up, no one folded the napkins of those absent from the table, no one asked if we wanted more bread and no one offered to refill our coffee. At $98 prix fixe, the service should be impeccable, not something that would be inadequate at a diner. Thought the food would compensate, but it was no more than ok. The amuse bouche of a dry, salty gougere came across like a Cheez Doodle compared with the delectable ones at Per Se. Soup and appetizer were good, not great. The entree I had, combining beef tenderloin and beef cheek was better, with the tenderloin perfectly cooked and the cheek meltingly soft, if a tad cloying. Vegetable accompaniments were no more than little smears on the plate. My chocolate desert was nothing special, extremely difficult to cut and featured only a dab (how I longed for as much as a smear) of the salted caramel cited on the menu. There have to be far better ways to drop $300 on a meal for two. Might have rated this average had the charge been, say $40/person or below, but the disconnect between expectation and reality drops my review from average to below average.
Pros: Beautiful room, great wine list, super cocktails
Cons: Inept, unfocused service, merely so-so food, a swindle at those prices
04/07/2008 Posted by dr378
The service is truly outstanding. There were two of us dining, and perhaps 10-15 different people attended to us over the course of our dinner. Our servers took good care of us, yet were never too obtrusive. The food is very good and definitely worth the splurge as this is not a cheap place. The little extra touches are what make the experience that much more enjoyable. To start, they provide a delicious assortment of complimentary mini appetizers, bread and pastry puffs. After dessert, they present a complimentary selection of pastries. All were delicious. Extensive wine list and very knowledgable, friendly sommelier. All in all, a wonderful dining experience to celebrate an anniversary, or just for an elegant night out. There are intimate romantic tables available in the back room and along the side banquets. Be sure to request a quieter table if that is your preference, as the center of the restaurant caters to larger groups and could be a little loud if you are seated there.
Pros: service, food, elegant high end decor
Cons: can be pricey so be prepared for the bill
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
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